Senate Committee Set to Deliver NDIS Eligibility Report This Week in Australia

The committee’s inquiry was extended and the bill amended in a deal with the Greens in June. This clears the way for a Senate vote on the legislation. If passed, Australians will need to show they have a permanent disability and have undertaken all appropriate and publicly funded treatment options before being allowed onto the scheme.

This will make it even more difficult for people with psychosocial disabilities, which arise from mental illness, to access the scheme. People with psychosocial disabilities, including from conditions such as schizophrenia and major depression, may have symptoms and impacts that fluctuate. And they may have greater difficulty showing they’ve tried other treatments.

It’s already hard to show your disability is permanent. Just one in four people who apply to the NDIS with a psychosocial disability are approved for scheme access. This compares with about four in five applicants overall.